NY Teen Detained by ICE Days Before Graduation

A Westchester teenager was detained by federal immigration officials on the day of his prom and days before his graduation from high school. Ray Villeda reports.

(Published Friday, June 9, 2017)

What to Know

Diego Ismael Puma Macancela, a 19-year-old Ecuadorean national, was detained by ICE on the day of his prom this week

Diego Ismael Puma Macancela's mother was detained the day before; he stayed at a family member's home, where he was taken into custody

The mayor of Ossining criticized ICE for not notifying local officials beforehand, but ICE said it had in fact informed them

A Westchester high school student was detained by federal immigration police on the day of his senior prom, and a day after his mother was taken into custody for deportation, according to officials and family.

Diego Ismael Puma Macancela, a 19-year-old Ecuadorean national is a senior at Ossining High School. He arrived in the U.S. with his mother in 2014. They fled their native country because of gang violence.

"He came here to start a new life, and now he's going to have to go back and start all over again," Macancela said.

Ossining Mayor Victoria Gearity told News 4 she learned about the ICE raid by watching it unfold outside her window. She has criticized the federal agency for not notifying village officials beforehand.

However, in a statement to News 4, ICE spokeswoman Rachael Yong Yow said officials were notified.

"Contrary to a statement issued from the Ossining Mayor’s Office, local police received prior notification that ICE would be in the local area conducting targeted enforcement actions," she said in a statement.

Bogus ID Cards Promised Protection From Deportation

The New York Attorney General has shut down a non-profit in the Bronx that an investigation by Telemundo 47 Investiga and WNYC Radio revealed was selling bogus ID cards that promised protection from deportation. Pablo Gutierrez reports.

(Published Thursday, June 1, 2017)

Gearity said she's concerned about the impact ICE raids will have on immigrant communities.

"When people are very scared, it's tough to distinguish between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials," she said. "What that means is people won't report crimes."

In a statement, Lowey said the teen was well-liked and admired, and that "young people who were brought to the United States as minors and have no criminal record should never be subject to such a cruel, deportation-first policy."

"While it is critical we work to improve our nation’s immigration system, the Trump Administration’s increasingly aggressive assault on immigrant families does not reflect the values on which this nation was founded," the statement continued.